The Uniform Data Set, Czech Version: Normative Data in Older Adults from an International Perspective

Small effects of olfactory identification and discrimination on global cognitive and executive performance over 1 year in aging people without a history of age-related cognitive impairment

Olfactory and cognitive performance share neural correlates profoundly affected by physiological aging. However, whether odor identification and discrimination scores predict global cognitive status and executive function in healthy older people with intact cognition is unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we set out to elucidate these links in a convenience sample of 204 independently living, cognitively intact healthy Czech adults aged 77.4 ± 8.7 (61-97 years) over two waves of data collection (one-year interval). We used the Czech versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to evaluate global cognition, and the Prague Stroop Test (PST), Trail Making Test (TMT), and several verbal fluency (VF) tests to assess executive function. As a subsidiary aim, we aimed to examine the contribution of olfactory performance towards achieving a MoCA score above vs. below the published cut-off value. We found that the MoCA scores exhibited moderate associations with both odor identification and discrimination. Furthermore, odor identification significantly predicted PST C and C/D scores. Odor discrimination significantly predicted PST C/D, TMT B/A, and standardized composite VF scores. Our findings demonstrate that olfaction, on the one hand, and global cognition and executive function, on the other, are related even in healthy older people.

Spatial navigation questionnaires as a supportive diagnostic tool in early Alzheimer's disease

Impaired spatial navigation is early marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We examined ability of self- and informant-reported navigation questionnaires to discriminate between clinically and biomarker-defined participants, and associations of questionnaires with navigation performance, regional brain atrophy, AD biomarkers, and biomarker status. 262 participants (cognitively normal, with subjective cognitive decline, amnestic mild cognitive impairment [aMCI], and mild dementia) and their informants completed three navigation questionnaires. Navigation performance, magnetic resonance imaging volume/thickness of AD-related brain regions, and AD biomarkers were measured. Informant-reported questionnaires distinguished between cognitively normal and impaired participants, and amyloid-β positive and negative aMCI. Lower scores were associated with worse navigation performance, greater atrophy in AD-related brain regions, and amyloid-β status. Self-reported questionnaire scores did not distinguish between the groups and were weakly associated with navigation performance. Other associations were not significant. Informant-reported navigation questionnaires may be a screening tool for early AD reflecting atrophy of AD-related brain regions and AD pathology.

Efficacy of non-computerized cognitive rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease: A one year follow up study

In this study, we explored the effect of non-computerized cognitive rehabilitation in patients with Parkinson's disease in comparison with an intervention with elements of music therapy after the completion of a three-month program and one year after the end of the intervention. After the initial neuropsychological examination, the respondents were divided into two intervention groups. The experimental group (n = 26) underwent a twelve-week program of cognitive rehabilitation at a frequency of 60 minutes once a week. The control group (n = 27) underwent an intervention program with elements of music therapy at the same frequency. Respondents who underwent the cognitive rehabilitation program improved in the delayed recall from visual memory in the follow-up examination after the end of the cognitive intervention. One year after the end, the effect of cognitive rehabilitation persisted in delayed recall from visual memory and in executive mental flexibility. Cognitive rehabilitation is an effective approach to compensate for cognitive deficits in P D, but other approaches to cognitive stimulation may be equally effective.

Evaluation of Differential Diagnostics Potential of Uniform Data Set 2 Neuropsychology Battery Using Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the Uniform Data Set (UDS) 2 battery in distinguishing between individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) attributable to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD) and those with MCI due to other causes (MCI-nonAD), based on contemporary AT(N) biomarker criteria. Despite the implementation of the novel UDS 3 battery, the UDS 2 battery is still used in several non-English-speaking countries.

METHODS

We employed a cross-sectional design. A total of 113 Czech participants with MCI underwent a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, including cerebrospinal fluid biomarker evaluation, resulting in two groups: 45 individuals with prodromal AD (A+T+) and 68 participants with non-Alzheimer's pathological changes or normal AD biomarkers (A-). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed with neuropsychological test scores and demographic variables as predictors and AD status as an outcome. Model 1 included UDS 2 scores that differed between AD and non-AD groups (Logical Memory delayed recall), Model 2 employed also Letter Fluency and Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). The two models were compared using area under the receiver operating characteristic curves. We also created separate logistic regression models for each of the UDS 2 scores.

RESULTS

Worse performance in delayed recall of Logical Memory significantly predicted the presence of positive AD biomarkers. In addition, the inclusion of Letter Fluency RAVLT into the model significantly enhanced its discriminative capacity.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate that using Letter Fluency and RAVLT alongside the UDS 2 battery can enhance its potential for differential diagnostics.

Mild behavioral impairment in early Alzheimer's disease and its association with APOE and BDNF risk genetic polymorphisms

BACKGROUND

Mild behavioral impairment (MBI) has been commonly reported in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) but rarely using biomarker-defined samples. It is also unclear whether genetic polymorphisms influence MBI in such individuals. We thus aimed to examine the association between the cognitive status of participants (amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI-AD) vs cognitively normal (CN) older adults) and MBI severity. Within aMCI-AD, we further examined the association between APOE and BDNF risk genetic polymorphisms and MBI severity.

METHODS

We included 62 aMCI-AD participants and 50 CN older adults from the Czech Brain Aging Study. The participants underwent neurological, comprehensive neuropsychological examination, APOE and BDNF genotyping, and magnetic resonance imaging. MBI was diagnosed with the Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist (MBI-C), and the diagnosis was based on the MBI-C total score ≥ 7. Additionally, self-report instruments for anxiety (the Beck Anxiety Inventory) and depressive symptoms (the Geriatric Depression Scale-15) were administered. The participants were stratified based on the presence of at least one risk allele in genes for APOE (i.e., e4 carriers and non-carriers) and BDNF (i.e., Met carriers and non-carriers). We used linear regressions to examine the associations.

RESULTS

MBI was present in 48.4% of the aMCI-AD individuals. Compared to the CN, aMCI-AD was associated with more affective, apathy, and impulse dyscontrol but not social inappropriateness or psychotic symptoms. Furthermore, aMCI-AD was related to more depressive but not anxiety symptoms on self-report measures. Within the aMCI-AD, there were no associations between APOE e4 and BDNF Met and MBI-C severity. However, a positive association between Met carriership and self-reported anxiety appeared.

CONCLUSIONS

MBI is frequent in aMCI-AD and related to more severe affective, apathy, and impulse dyscontrol symptoms. APOE and BDNF polymorphisms were not associated with MBI severity separately; however, their combined effect warrants further investigation.

Memory Binding Test and Its Associations With Hippocampal Volume Across the Cognitive Continuum Preceding Dementia

Innovative memory paradigms have been introduced to capture subtle memory changes in early Alzheimer's disease (AD). We aimed to examine the associations between different indexes of the challenging Memory Binding Test (MBT) and hippocampal volume (HV) in a sample of individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD; n = 50), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) due to AD (n = 31), and cognitively normal (CN) older adults (n = 29) recruited from the Czech Brain Aging Study, in contrast to traditional verbal memory tests. Both MBT free and cued recall scores in immediate and delayed recall conditions were associated with lower HV in both SCD and aMCI due to AD, whereas in traditional verbal memory tests only delayed recall scores were associated with lower HV. In SCD, the associations with lower HV in the immediate recall covered specific cued recall indexes only. In conclusion, the MBT is a promising test for detecting subtle hippocampal-associated memory decline during the predementia continuum.

Processing speed predicts SuperAging years later

BACKGROUND

SuperAging is one of the current concepts related to elite, resilient or high-functioning cognitive aging. The main aim of our study was to find possible predictors of SuperAgers (SA).

METHODS

Community-dwelling older persons (N = 96) aged 80-101 years in 2018 were repeatedly tested (year 2012 and 2018). SA were defined based on their performance in 2018 as persons of 80+ years of age who recalled ≥ 9 words in the delayed recall of the Philadelphia Verbal Learning Test, and had a normal performance in non-memory tasks [the Boston Naming Test, the Trail Making Test Part B, and Category Fluency ("Animals")], which was defined as a score within or above one standard deviation from the age and education appropriate average. Three composite scores (CS; immediate memory, processing speed, and executive functions) were created from the performance in 2012, and analysed as possible predictors of SA status in 2018.

RESULTS

We identified 19 SA (15 females) and 77 nonSA (42 females), groups did not significantly differ in age, years of education, and sex. The logistic regression model (p = 0.028) revealed three predictors of SA from the baseline (year 2012), including processing speed (p = 0.006; CS-speed: the Prague Stroop Test-Dots and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test), sex (p = 0.015), and age (p = 0.045).

CONCLUSIONS

Thus, SA may be predicted based on the level of processing speed, which supports the hypothesis of the processing speed theory of healthy aging.

Moderating effect of cognitive reserve on brain integrity and cognitive performance

Background

Dementia syndrome is one of the most devastating conditions in older adults. As treatments to stop neurodegeneration become available, accurate and timely diagnosis will increase in importance. One issue is that cognitive performance sometimes does not match the corresponding level of neuropathology, affecting diagnostic accuracy. Cognitive reserve (CR), which can preserve cognitive function despite underlying neuropathology, explains at least some variability in cognitive performance. We examined the influence of CR proxies (education and occupational position) on the relationship between hippocampal or total gray matter volume and cognition.

Methods

We used data from the Czech Brain Aging Study. Participants were clinically confirmed to be without dementia (n = 457, including subjective cognitive decline and amnestic mild cognitive impairment) or with dementia syndrome (n = 113).

Results

For participants without dementia, higher education magnified the associations between (a) hippocampal volume and executive control (b = 0.09, p = 0.033), (b) total gray matter volume and language (b = 0.12, p < 0.001), and (c) total gray matter volume and memory (b = 0.08, p = 0.018). Similarly, higher occupational position magnified the association between total gray matter volume and (a) attention/working memory (b = 0.09, p = 0.009), (b) language (b = 0.13, p = 0.002), and (c) memory (b = 0.10, p = 0.013). For participants with dementia, the associations between hippocampal (b = -0.26, p = 0.024) and total gray matter (b = -0.28, p = 0.024) volume and visuospatial skills decreased in magnitude with higher education.

Conclusion

We found that the association between brain volume and cognitive performance varies based on CR, with greater CR related to a stronger link between brain volume and cognition before, and a weaker link after, dementia diagnosis.

Contribution of Memory Tests to Early Identification of Conversion from Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia

Background:

Memory tests using controlled encoding and cued recall paradigm (CECR) have been shown to identify prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but information about the effectiveness of CECR compared to other memory tests in predicting clinical progression is missing.

Objective:

The aim was to examine the predictive ability of a memory test based on the CECR paradigm in comparison to other memory/non-memory tests for conversion to dementia in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

Methods:

270 aMCI patients from the clinical-based Czech Brain Aging Study underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment including the Enhanced Cued Recall test (ECR), a memory test with CECR, two verbal memory tests without controlled encoding: the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) and Logical memory test (LM), a visuospatial memory test: the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test, and cognitive testing based on the Uniform Data Set battery. The patients were followed prospectively. Conversion to dementia as a function of cognitive performance was examined using Cox proportional hazard models.

Results:

144 (53%) patients converted to dementia. Most converters (89%) developed dementia due to AD or mixed (AD and vascular) dementia. Comparing the four memory tests, the delayed recall scores on AVLT and LM best predicted conversion to dementia. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of immediate recall scores on ECR, AVLT, and LM were similar to the HR of categorical verbal fluency.

Conclusion:

Using the CECR memory paradigm in assessment of aMCI patients has no superiority over verbal and non-verbal memory tests without cued recall in predicting conversion to dementia.

Different Profiles of Spatial Navigation Deficits In Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarker-Positive Versus Biomarker-Negative Older Adults With Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background

Spatial navigation impairment is a promising cognitive marker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that can reflect the underlying pathology.

Objectives

We assessed spatial navigation performance in AD biomarker positive older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (AD aMCI) vs. those AD biomarker negative (non-AD aMCI), and examined associations between navigation performance, MRI measures of brain atrophy, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers.

Methods

A total of 122 participants with AD aMCI (n = 33), non-AD aMCI (n = 31), mild AD dementia (n = 28), and 30 cognitively normal older adults (CN) underwent cognitive assessment, brain MRI (n = 100 had high-quality images for volumetric analysis) and three virtual navigation tasks focused on route learning (body-centered navigation), wayfinding (world-centered navigation) and perspective taking/wayfinding. Cognitively impaired participants underwent CSF biomarker assessment [amyloid-β1–42, total tau, and phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181)] and amyloid PET imaging (n = 47 and n = 45, respectively), with a subset having both (n = 19).

Results

In route learning, AD aMCI performed worse than non-AD aMCI (p &lt; 0.001), who performed similarly to CN. In wayfinding, aMCI participants performed worse than CN (both p ≤ 0.009) and AD aMCI performed worse than non-AD aMCI in the second task session (p = 0.032). In perspective taking/wayfinding, aMCI participants performed worse than CN (both p ≤ 0.001). AD aMCI and non-AD aMCI did not differ in conventional cognitive tests. Route learning was associated with parietal thickness and amyloid-β1–42, wayfinding was associated with posterior medial temporal lobe (MTL) volume and p-tau181 and perspective taking/wayfinding was correlated with MRI measures of several brain regions and all CSF biomarkers.

Conclusion

AD biomarker positive and negative older adults with aMCI had different profiles of spatial navigation deficits that were associated with posterior MTL and parietal atrophy and reflected AD pathology.

Progression from Subjective Cognitive Decline to Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: The Role of Baseline Cognitive Performance

Background: Older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) are at an increased risk of progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. However, few have examined the specific cognitive tests that are associated with progression. Objective: This study examined performance on 18 neuropsychological tests among participants with SCD who later progressed to MCI or dementia. Methods: We included 131 participants from the Czech Brain Aging Study that had SCD at baseline. They completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery including cognitive tests from the Uniform Data Set 2.0 enriched by the verbal memory test Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCFT). Results: Fifty-five participants progressed: 53% to non-amnestic MCI (naMCI), 44% to amnestic MCI (aMCI), and 4% to dementia. Scoring one SD below the mean at baseline on the RAVLT 1 and RAVLT 1–5 was associated with 133% (RAVLT 1; HR: 2.33 [1.50, 3.62]) and 122% (RAVLT 1–5; HR: 2.22 [1.55, 3.16]) greater risk of progression to MCI or dementia over 3.84 years on average. Worse performance on the RAVLT 5, RAVLT 1–5, RAVLT 30, and ROCFT–Recall was associated with progression to aMCI whereas worse performance on the RAVLT 1, TMT B, and Boston Naming Test was associated with progression to naMCI. Conclusion: At baseline, lower verbal memory performance was most strongly associated with progression to aMCI whereas lower executive or language performance was most strongly associated with progression to naMCI.

Reducing misclassification of mild cognitive impairment based on base rate information from the Uniform data set

The current study aimed to define and validate the criteria for characterizing possible and probable cognitive deficits based on the psychometric approach using the Uniform data set Czech version (UDS-CZ 2.0) to reduce the rate of misdiagnosis. We computed the prevalence of low scores on the 14 subtests of UDS-CZ 2.0 in a normative sample of healthy older adults and validated criteria for possible and probable cognitive impairment on the sample of amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients. The misclassification rate of the validation sample using psychometrically derived criteria remained low: for classification as possible impairment, we found 66-76% correct classification in the clinical sample and only 2-8% false positives in the healthy control validation sample, similar results were obtained for probable cognitive impairment. Our findings offer a psychometric approach and a computational tool to minimize the misdiagnosis of mild cognitive impairment compared to traditional criteria for MCI.

The Association Between Homocysteine and Memory in Older Adults

BACKGROUND

Identifying modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline can reduce burden of dementia.

OBJECTIVE

We examined whether homocysteine was associated with memory performance, mediated by entorhinal volume, hippocampal volume, total gray matter volume, or white matter lesions, and moderated by APOE ɛ4 allele, B vitamins, creatinine, total cholesterol, or triglycerides.

METHODS

All 204 members of the Czech Brain Aging Study with subjective cognitive decline (SCD; n = 60) or amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI; n = 144) who had valid data were included. Linear regression was used, followed by conditional process modeling to examine mediation and moderation.

RESULTS

Controlling for age, sex, and education, higher homocysteine was related to poorer memory performance overall (b = -0.03, SE = 0.01, p = 0.017) and in participants with SCD (b = -0.06, SE = 0.03, p = 0.029), but less so in aMCI (b = -0.03, SE = 0.02, p = 0.074); though sensitivity analyses revealed a significant association when sample was reduced to aMCI patients with more complete cognitive data (who were also better functioning; b = -0.04, SE = 0.02, p = 0.022). Results were unchanged in fully adjusted models. Neither mediation by markers of brain integrity nor moderation by APOE ɛ4, B vitamins, creatinine, and cardiovascular factors were significant. Memory sub-analyses revealed that results for SCD were likely driven by non-verbal memory. The homocysteine-memory relationship was significant when hippocampal volume was below the median (b = -0.04, SE = 0.02, p = 0.046), but not at/above the median (p = 0.247).

CONCLUSION

Higher homocysteine levels may adversely influence memory performance, which appears particularly apparent in those without cognitive impairment. Results appear to be independent of brain health, suggesting that homocysteine may represent a good target for intervention.

Mild Behavioral Impairment Is Associated With Atrophy of Entorhinal Cortex and Hippocampus in a Memory Clinic Cohort

Objectives

Mild behavioral impairment (MBI) is a syndrome describing late-onset persistent neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in non-demented older adults. Few studies to date have investigated the associations of MBI with structural brain changes. Our aim was to explore structural correlates of NPS in a non-demented memory clinic sample using the Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist (MBI-C) that has been developed to measure MBI.

Methods

One hundred sixteen non-demented older adults from the Czech Brain Aging Study with subjective cognitive concerns were classified as subjective cognitive decline (n = 37) or mild cognitive impairment (n = 79). Participants underwent neurological and neuropsychological examinations and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (1.5 T). The Czech version of the MBI-C was administered to participants’ informants. Five a priori selected brain regions were measured, namely, thicknesses of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and entorhinal cortex (ERC) and volume of the hippocampus (HV), and correlated with MBI-C total and domain scores.

Results

Entorhinal cortex was associated with MBI-C total score (r_S = −0.368, p < 0.001) and with impulse dyscontrol score (r_S = −0.284, p = 0.002). HV was associated with decreased motivation (r_S = −0.248, p = 0.008) and impulse dyscontrol score (r_S = −0.240, p = 0.011).

Conclusion

Neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly in the MBI impulse dyscontrol and motivation domains, are associated with medial temporal lobe atrophy in a clinical cohort of non-demented older adults. This study supports earlier involvement of temporal rather than frontal regions in NPS manifestation. Since these regions are typically affected early in the course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the MBI-C may potentially help further identify individuals at-risk of developing AD dementia.

Cognitive Phenotypes of Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline and Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Czech Brain Aging Study

OBJECTIVE

To compare cognitive phenotypes of participants with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), estimate progression to MCI/dementia by phenotype and assess classification error with machine learning.

METHOD

Dataset consisted of 163 participants with SCD and 282 participants with aMCI from the Czech Brain Aging Study. Cognitive assessment included the Uniform Data Set battery and additional tests to ascertain executive function, language, immediate and delayed memory, visuospatial skills, and processing speed. Latent profile analyses were used to develop cognitive profiles, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate risk of progression. Random forest machine learning algorithms reported cognitive phenotype classification error.

RESULTS

Latent profile analysis identified three phenotypes for SCD, with one phenotype performing worse across all domains but not progressing more quickly to MCI/dementia after controlling for age, sex, and education. Three aMCI phenotypes were characterized by mild deficits, memory and language impairment (dysnomic aMCI), and severe multi-domain aMCI (i.e., deficits across all domains). A dose-response relationship between baseline level of impairment and subsequent risk of progression to dementia was evident for aMCI profiles after controlling for age, sex, and education. Machine learning more easily classified participants with aMCI in comparison to SCD (8% vs. 21% misclassified).

CONCLUSIONS

Cognitive performance follows distinct patterns, especially within aMCI. The patterns map onto risk of progression to dementia.

Slovak version of the Trail Making Test: Normative data

The Trail Making Test (TMT) is a popular measure of cognitive functioning, especially processing speed and cognitive flexibility. This study aims to provide normative data for the Slovak adult population. The secondary aim is to test the convergent validity by examining relationships of direct and derived indices to other neuropsychological measures. A sample of 487 healthy adults undertook neuropsychological testing. The relationships of TMT scores to demographic variables and other neuropsychological measures were tested. Age was positively correlated with TMT-A (r = 0.444, p < .01), TMT-B (r = 0.426, p < .01), and the B-A index (r = 0.317, p < .01). Years of education were negatively correlated with TMT-B (r = -0.183, p < .01), B-A difference (r = -0.188, p < .01) and B/A ratio (r = -0.119, p < .01). There were no statistically significant differences in performance based on gender. The test scores were correlated with other measures of processing speed and executive functions. Presented normative data are stratified into 7 age categories. For more accurate interpretation, regression equations were calculated to take years of education into account. TMT-A and B performance, as well as B-A difference score, must be interpreted in relation to age, while education can provide additional information. The B/A ratio is independent from age but should be also corrected for educational level.

Decreased emotional creativity and its relationship with cognitive functions in Parkinson's disease: A preliminary study

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) suffer from a wide range of non-motor symptoms, including cognitive deficits and impairment of emotional processing. The present study aimed to explore in PD patients compared to healthy adults the relationship between cognitive performance and emotional creativity (EC), defined as a set of cognitive abilities and personality traits related to originality and appropriateness of emotional experience. PD patients (n = 22) and healthy controls (n = 40) underwent a complex neuropsychological assessment and were administrated with the self-reported Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI) questionnaire. To explore the relationship between cognitive tests and the ECI, a regression analysis was conducted. PD patients and healthy controls differed significantly in the EC component Preparedness as well as in the neuropsychological test battery scores. PD patients showed lower scores in cognitive tests and a lower score in Preparedness compared to healthy adults. The output of the regression analysis showed that the extent to which the neuropsychological tests relate to the ECI components is low.

Delayed matching to sample task 48: assessment of malingering with simulating design

The results of neuropsychological tests may be distorted by patients who exaggerate cognitive deficits. Eighty-three patients with cognitive deficit [Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), n = 53; Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia, n = 30], 44 healthy older adults (HA), and 30 simulators of AD (s-AD) underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed high specificity but low sensitivity of the Delayed Matching to Sample Task (DMS48) in differentiating s-AD from AD dementia (87 and 53%, respectively) and from aMCI (96 and 57%). The sensitivity was considerably increased by using the DMS48/Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) ratio (specificity and sensitivity 93% and 93% for AD dementia and 96% and 80% for aMCI). The DMS48 differentiates s-AD from both aMCI and AD dementia with high specificity but low sensitivity. Its predictive value greatly increased when evaluated together with the RAVLT.

Spatial navigation in early multiple sclerosis: a neglected cognitive marker of the disease?

BACKGROUND

Cognitive deficits are common in early multiple sclerosis (MS), however, spatial navigation changes and their associations with brain pathology remain poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the profile of spatial navigation changes in two main navigational strategies, egocentric (self-centred) and allocentric (world-centred), and their associations with demyelinating and neurodegenerative changes in early MS.

METHODS

Participants with early MS after the first clinical event (n = 51) and age-, gender- and education-matched controls (n = 42) underwent spatial navigation testing in a real-space human analogue of the Morris water maze task, comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, and MRI brain scan with voxel-based morphometry and volumetric analyses.

RESULTS

The early MS group had lower performance in the egocentric (p = 0.010), allocentric (p = 0.004) and allocentric-delayed (p = 0.038) navigation tasks controlling for age, gender and education. Based on the applied criteria, lower spatial navigation performance was present in 26-29 and 33-41% of the participants with early MS in the egocentric and the allocentric task, respectively. Larger lesion load volume in cortical, subcortical and cerebellar regions (ß ≥ 0.29; p ≤ 0.032) unlike brain atrophy was associated with less accurate allocentric navigation performance.

CONCLUSION

Lower spatial navigation performance is present in up to 41% of the participants with early MS. Demyelinating lesions in early MS may disrupt neural network forming the basis of allocentric navigation.

Long-term cognitive trajectory and activities of daily living in healthy aging

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate if participants in NANOK study (National Normative Study of Cognitive Determinants of Healthy Ageing) who show no cognitive decline throughout five years (successful healthy agers; SHA) will show less age-related differences in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) based on Functional Activities Questionnaire in comparison to participants who show subtle cognitive decline (Decliners) over time.Method: We used two different classifications of SHA: Rogalski (N = 25 SHA and N = 15 Decliners) based on cross-sectional neuropsychology measures and linear mixed model (LMEM; 20 SHA and 20 Decliners) based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment longitudinal 5-years follow-up. Whole-brain T1- and T2-weighted images were corrected for distortions and segmented using Freesurfer. Whole-brain volumetry was performed using FSL's voxel-based morphometry tool.Results: The cognitive decline after four years follow-up but not age predicts subtle impairment in IADL in healthy ageing participants. We found brain volumetric differences between SHA and Decliners based on Rogalski but not LMEM classification especially in bilateral insular cortices and ventrolateral frontal cortex. The logistic regression model achieved an accuracy of 75% for the Rogalski in comparison to 67.5% for the LMEM classification.Conclusions: Slight restrictions in IADL seem to be a useful tool for screening healthy ageing participants at risk of developing subtle cognitive decline over a period of five years and the cross-sectional Rogalski criteria based on standardized neuropsychological measures were superior for tapping age-related brain changes to longitudinal LMEM classification based on screening (Montreal Cognitive Assessment).

Czech Brain Aging Study (CBAS): prospective multicentre cohort study on risk and protective factors for dementia in the Czech Republic

PURPOSE

Identification of demographic, physical/physiological, lifestyle and genetic factors contributing to the onset of dementia, specifically Alzheimer disease (AD), and implementation of novel methods for early diagnosis are important to alleviate prevalence of dementia globally. The Czech Brain Aging Study (CBAS) is the first large, prospective study to address these issues in Central/Eastern Europe by enrolling non-demented adults aged 55+ years, collecting a variety of personal and biological measures and tracking cognitive function over time.

PARTICIPANTS

The CBAS recruitment was initiated in 2011 from memory clinics at Brno and Prague University Hospitals, and by the end of 2018, the study included 1228 participants. Annual follow-ups include collection of socioeconomic, lifestyle and personal history information, neurology, neuropsychology, laboratory, vital sign and brain MRI data. In a subset, biomarker assessment (cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and amyloid positron emission tomography) and spatial navigation were performed. Participants were 69.7±8.1 years old and had 14.6±3.3 years of education at baseline, and 59% were women. By the end of 2018, 31% finished three and more years of follow-up; 9% converted to dementia. Apolipoprotein E status is available from 95% of the participants. The biological sample bank linked to CBAS database contained CSF, serum and DNA.

FINDINGS TO DATE

Overall, the findings, mainly from cross-sectional analyses, indicate that spatial navigation is a promising marker of early AD and that it can be distinguished from other cognitive functions. Specificity of several standard memory tests for early AD pathology was assessed with implications for clinical practice. The relationship of various lifestyle factors to cognition and brain atrophy was reported.

FUTURE PLANS

Recruitment is ongoing with secured funding. Longitudinal data analyses are currently being conducted. Proposals for collaboration on specific data from the database or biospecimen, as well as collaborations with similar cohort studies to increase sample size, are welcome. Study details are available online (www.cbas.cz).

Young-Old City-Dwellers Outperform Village Counterparts in Attention and Verbal Control Tasks

Cognitive performance is dynamic and shaped by individual biological and environmental factors throughout life. In psychology, besides the effects of age, education, and other often studied factors, the complexity of the lived-in environment and urbanicity in that context are yet to be elucidated. In this observational cross-sectional study, we compare cognitive performance in standard neuropsychological tests in healthy older persons from three different types of settlements in the Czechia: the capital city of Prague, towns, and villages. The groups were equal in terms of the age-band (60–74 years), the distribution of gender, education, past and current leisure activities, and cognitive health status (MMSE score). The results showed that Prague citizens had consistently better performance in all verbal tests (for memory and verbal control, i.e., executive function) and attention than persons from other areas. The groups did not differ in timed visuo-graphomotor performance. The conclusion is that the complex environment of a city may promote, in the long-term, certain cognitive abilities, distinguishable even in a developed, culturally homogenous country. The implications are: (a) the description of samples used in normative studies should include information on the lived-in environment for the reference of researchers and clinicians; and (b) individual clinical assessment should reflect the role of the patient’s environment where appropriate. The exact mechanisms and causes of the differences need further investigation.